*This post was written the day after Thanksgiving 2013* I have had the most thanks-giving transition. Day 1 The day after I flew back to the states, it was the first night of Channukah. The next night, it was the rare unicorn-of-a-holiday, THANKSGIVUKKAH. Channukah, which follows the Jewish calendar, fell on Thanksgiving, which follows the … Continue reading Welcome Back – TO THANKSGIVUKKAH
Category: Food
I had the worst day - until I got back to my apartment. I walked out of the elevator and before I could even get to my door, I was handed a bag of meat by my Arab neighbors. Yes, a BAG of MEAT. I stared at it, and said, "Thank you, but why?" They … Continue reading The Bag of Meat: A Story
I took the most WONDERFUL trip this weekend. Impulsive, unexpected, rewarding. I woke up on Friday morning determined to get out of Suli. It had been 2 weeks since I'd gone anywhere, and the longer I go without travelling, the more I get stuck in a complacent rut. So I went to the bus terminal, … Continue reading Halabja
Just finished a Thanksgiving at my flat with Arab, Lebanese, Palestinian, Kurdish, American, and Norwegian guests. So much food! And so many different types - people brought what they knew how to cook, which included brinj (Kurdish), hummus (Lebanese), baniya (Palestinian), and Budweiser (American). In order to be culturally ok with everyone, I only invited … Continue reading Thanksgiving
Honestly, who cares about the destination. The journeys are usually much more fabulous. So. Picking up where I left off a while ago: After Kirkuk, we drove on to Arbil. I wanted to see the Arbil citadel, which is supposedly the oldest continually inhabited structure on earth (supposedly), but when we got there it unfortunately … Continue reading EID CONTINUED: The Journey to Dar Mar Matta (St. Matthew’s Monastery)
Last Friday, I embarked on my adventure. I had been planning on somehow going alone, by bus and taxi. But this was not to be. I found someone with a car who wanted to road-trip as much as I did. Sam, the head of catering for the school, was my travel buddy this past week. … Continue reading Day 1: Kirkuk
...from EVERYWHERE. Here is what the itinerary turned out to be: Day 1 (Friday): Suli, Chamchamal, Kirkuk, Arbil Day 2 (Saturday): Arbil, almost Mosul, Dar Mar Matta (St. Matthew's Monastery) Day 3 (Sunday): Mar Matta Day 4 (Monday): Mar Matta, Shekhan, Lalish, Al Qosh Day 5 (Tuesday): Al Qosh, Dohok Day 6 (Wednesday): Dohok, Amediya … Continue reading I’m BACK…
The perfect British remedy for a day of teaching Kurdish children. I really don't know why anyone would feel the need for liquor after a hard day's work. Hobnobs and English breakfast tea is just so damn comforting. Add a bootleg copy of X-Men and you've got yourself a party.
In the bazaar's meat district, there's a little side street that sells live chickens. You order as many as you want, and they slaughter them there for you. You come back 15 minutes later, and they're beheaded, plucked, and trussed for you. I definitely want to order one or two, but until my Kurdish improves … Continue reading Chickens
I cannot express in words how truly delicious homemade kuba is. Kuba is meat encased in a fried rice-paste mixture. Kurdish kuba is made in dumpling form (and Kurds are very proud of their kuba dumplings). Arabic kuba is made like a quesadilla, with the meat in between two "tortillas" made from rice paste. Nowras … Continue reading Kuba
In Mutual Weirdness 